Tuesday, 29 September 2015

Mangana Arts and Crafts is a fantastic shop in Olinda, Melbourne. Mangana is a treasure trove of a shop, filled with an eclectic mix of arts and crafts, which evoke a sense of craftsmanship and quality. The collection is vast and includes such items as lamps from Morocco, masks from Venice, jewellery from France and New York, leatherwork, and Australian crafts including sheepskin footwear, authentic didgeridoos, chopping boards, jewellery, hats and belts. It is one of our favourite shops in the Dandenongs and when visiting we always find something to buy there...This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

Monday, 28 September 2015

This is a mural by Voir in Canberra's Civic precinct, on the Garema Café façade. Voir is "a Melbourne-grown, Canberra-based independent artist specialising in aerosol art, bright colours, strong shapes, and just a little too much for your eyes to manage." according to his website.I was rather pleased I caught one of the chefs having a little rest on his break next to the mural. It somehow brings the sultry, larger than life, siren on the mural back into the real world...This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,and also part of the Monday Murals meme.

Saturday, 26 September 2015

Welcome to the Saturday Silhouettes meme! This is a weekly meme that looks at SILHOUETTES in photography.SILHOUETTE |ˌsɪlʊˈɛt| noun: The dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.ORIGIN - late 18th century: Named (although the reason remains uncertain) after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French author and politician.

Thursday, 24 September 2015

One of the main reasons we visited Canberra last weekend was to see Floriade. Floriade is Australia’s biggest celebration of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere. This iconic Canberra event returns from Saturday 12 September until Sunday 11 October 2015. It showcases one million flowers in bloom throughout Canberra’s Commonwealth Park and entry is free. The event welcomes more than 400,000 local, interstate and international visitors each year.Floriade will this year pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli through the theme of "Reflection". This year’s garden beds represent iconic symbols of war and peace such as the poppy, the Southern Cross, two-up and the famous slouch hat. I'll post some photos of this event next week.The program includes "Night Fests" where several events and shows take place at night and the displays are floodlit. One may purchase tickets to attend the Night Fest and various activities after dark. We enjoyed attending this event very much and hope to visit again next year.This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River (which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle) was dammed. It is named after Walter Burley Griffin, the American architect who won the competition to design the city of Canberra.

Griffin designed the lake with many geometric motifs, so that the axes of his design lined up with natural geographical landmarks in the area. However, government authorities changed his original plans and no substantial work was completed before he left Australia in 1920. His scheme remained unfulfilled as the Great Depression and World War II intervened, and it was not until the 1950s that planning resumed. After much political dispute over several proposed variations, excavation work began in 1960 with the energetic backing of Prime Minister Robert Menzies.

After the completion of the bridges and dams, the dams were locked in September 1963. However, a drought meant that the target water level was not reached until April 1964. It was formally inaugurated on 17 October 1964. The lake is located in the approximate geographic centre of the city, and is the centrepiece of the capital in accordance with Griffin's original designs.

Numerous important institutions, such as the National Gallery, National Museum, National Library, Australian National University and the High Court were built on its shores, and Parliament House is a short distance away. Its surrounds, consisting mainly of parklands, are popular with recreational users, particularly in the warmer months. Though swimming in the lake is uncommon, it is used for a wide variety of other activities, such as rowing, fishing, and sailing.

The lake is an ornamental body with a length of 11 kilometres; at its widest, it measures 1.2 kilometres. It has an average depth of 4 metres and a maximum depth of about 18 metres near the Scrivener Dam. Its flow is regulated by the 33-metre tall Scrivener Dam, designed to handle floods that occur once in 5,000 years. In times of drought, water levels can be maintained through the release of water from Googong Dam, located on an upstream tributary of the Molonglo River.

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeysuckle, Kimo, Mooney Mooney, Murrumbidgee and Tumut mountain ranges, Gundagai is 390 kilometres south-west of Sydney, the state capital and largest city in Australia. At the 2006 census the population of Gundagai was 1,998.Gundagai, perhaps more than any other Australian locality, is referenced in stories, songs and poems. These include Theta's poem, 'Ode to the Dead of Gundagai'. James Riley, 'The Gundagai Calamity', Jack Moses and others in 'Nine Miles From Gundagai', Jack O'Hagan songs 'Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox (five miles from Gundagai)', 'Along The Road To Gundagai', 'Snake Gully Swagger', and 'When a Boy from Alabama Meets a Girl from Gundagai'. Gundagai also features in the song 'The Grand Old Hills of Gundagai'. It is referenced in Scottish band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie's song 'Dust'.Last weekend we drove through Gundagai on our way to Canberra and we had a stop for coffee there. It is a small sleepy town nestled amongst green hills and the atmosphere is very evocative of old times, just as the ballad 'Along The Road To Gundagai' relates...This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,and also part of theTrees & Bushes meme,and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.